Losing Weight With A Sweet Tooth

amyteacake
amyteacake Posts: 768 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I have a terrible sweet tooth. Snacking and sweet things is something I've always struggled with when it comes to losing weight.

I've put on a stone again, at this point last year I was at the lowest I had ever been and I'm determined to get back there, but my sweet tooth is my biggest enemy.

I'm trying to stop myself from snacking so much by trying to find alternatives to the sweet things I usually want to eat. So was wondering if anyone has any healthy snack ideas that I could try that might help with my cravings?
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Replies

  • JaydedMiss
    JaydedMiss Posts: 4,286 Member
    edited January 2018
    honestly the only thing thats helped me reel in my sweet tooth is 1. protein cake (its delicious and helps with my baked good obsession a full 9 inch "cake" for 200 calories thats sweet and delicious but its pure protein lol) and 2. portioning and eating small bowls of frozen fruit/berries (the frozenness i like and it makes me take my time eating them for like -100 calories)

    Of course it took time to get my body to adjust but its nice to have sweet options that dont kill my goals/macros/calories.

    Some people just have to accept the sweet tooth, others cut it out entirely. I chose to sort of work around it and now honestly its what i crave. Im somewhere in the middle of the spectrum. Once i stopped trying to cut it out or struggle to avoid things and focus on the things i get to eat instead they became much more worth it to me
  • toxikon
    toxikon Posts: 2,383 Member
    edited January 2018
    I don't have a major sweet tooth, but sometimes I do get the cravings and here's how I handle it.

    1. Decide if I can fit the thing that I want into my calorie goal. If I can make it work, I'll have it.
    2. If the first option doesn't work for whatever reason, find a lower calorie substitution instead.

    Right now, my main sources of sweets are: Fiber One bars (soooo gooood), instant oatmeal, Halo Top and occasionally some dark chocolate. And I drink a lot of tea, which I add vanilla almond milk and a squirt of liquid Stevia to.
  • CaliMomTeach
    CaliMomTeach Posts: 745 Member
    Dark chocolate (Trader Joes mini bars- 100 calories each) and Dreyers Slow Churned Icecream (110 calories for 1/2 cup). Also Kind Dark Chocolate bars (200 calories). They seem to satisfy my need most of the time and keep my sugar intake in the green. When I started MFP, I would just let the dark chocolate sit in my mouth for a while and eat it slowly so I would have the sweet taste longer. I know it sounds weird, but it worked for me. My sweet tooth has been quite intense in my life. When I exercise regularly, I find that I don't crave sweets as much. Also, when I am good about counting calories and just don't have the room for a lot of sweets, I get used to not having as much. From Thanksgiving to New Years, I ate lots of sweet treats and paid for it with a weight gain. I'm on day 4 of trying to eat better and the cravings are already much less. I know my suggestions are not exactly healthy, but they are low calorie and not a crazy amount of sugar content, and they really do the trick for me. Oh, one more...Trader Joes Chocolate Cat Cookies (about 110 calories for 15 cookies). They are good with tea. I keep these in the house so that when the sweet tooth hits, I have something to satisfy it.
  • whosshe
    whosshe Posts: 597 Member
    edited January 2018
    http://www.foodiefiasco.com/low-calorie-crustless-pumpkin-pie/

    I haven't made it yet so I'm not saying it's good lol

    The whole pie comes out to about 347 calories for me when I use unsweetened almond milk instead of half+half.

    ETA: Banana Bread - https://www.yummly.com/recipe/Low-Calorie-Banana-Bread-Recipezaar

    I spent the whole night last night on pinterest looking for low-cal baking LOL
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
    I don't have much of a sweet tooth, but sometimes when I'm on a deficit I do find myself craving sweet things more than normal. I handle it by budgeting calories for them. I usually have something sweet right after lunch and I've found that individual portion packages work well for me. When it's empty, I'm done until tomorrow.
  • amyteacake
    amyteacake Posts: 768 Member
    whosshe wrote: »
    http://www.foodiefiasco.com/low-calorie-crustless-pumpkin-pie/

    I haven't made it yet so I'm not saying it's good lol

    The whole pie comes out to about 347 calories for me when I use unsweetened almond milk instead of half+half.

    ETA: Banana Bread - https://www.yummly.com/recipe/Low-Calorie-Banana-Bread-Recipezaar

    I spent the whole night last night on pinterest looking for low-cal baking LOL

    I love banana bread so I'll definitely give that recipe a try! I do that too sometimes haha
  • VintageFeline
    VintageFeline Posts: 6,771 Member
    I just try and make a sweet treat per day fit within my calories. If I'm going through a period of not being able to moderate them then I don't keep them in the house and only allow myself to buy a single serve when out. If I can keep control of myself then I'll have things like Rice Krispie treats, small bars of chocolate, little individual snack cakes, that sort of thing. And generally have them with a tea or coffee for afternoon snack.
  • amyteacake
    amyteacake Posts: 768 Member
    RecognitionT wrote: »
    Fight the urges and cravings for about 3 weeks (~the amount of time to make/break a habit) and they'll naturally stop. Not to say that you probably won't suffer during those 3 weeks, but you'll thank yourself once it's over.

    If you absolutely must have any sugar, make it fruit.

    When I go back to college next week I've told myself that all I'll be drinking is water again - it used to be the only thing I drank save for a few cans of soda at the weekend but now I can't stop drinking it. And I'm also going to stop getting chocolate and things from the vending machines and have some fruit instead or bring some low calorie snacks instead
  • murp4069
    murp4069 Posts: 494 Member
    One that I like recently is pitting a peach and roasting it in the oven (or microwaving it if I'm short on time) with a little bit of Truvia or Swerve on the top and eating it with a scoop of frozen fat free Cool Whip or some Reddi Whip, depending on which I have on hand. Low calorie and delicious. I'm also a fan of baked apples, which you can do plain or even bake with diet black cherry soda and serve with whipped cream or vanilla Halo Top.

    Chocolate Covered Katie also has a ton of dessert recipes with reasonable calories (and there are many other blogs like hers with "healthy" dessert recipes).
  • DarianJP
    DarianJP Posts: 95 Member
    I have the same problem, my sweet tooth is my Achilles heel but I always leave room for a snack and I usually honestly have a sweet snack at the end of the day. But I’ll have a like a chocolate chewy protein bar or a quest bar. Chopped up, baked apples with cinnamon are *kitten* delicious and it may sound weird but frozen blueberries with unsweetened vanilla almond milk is amazing. Feel free to add me as a friend, my diaries open.
  • kommodevaran
    kommodevaran Posts: 17,890 Member
    Cravings are for specific foods. If substitutes had worked, you could have used the suggestions that came with the advice. So it doesn't work.

    Learn to live with cravings. They don't kill you, they're just annoying. Set some personal, sensible rules for how much and how often to eat this or that.
  • riverscloud3407
    riverscloud3407 Posts: 14 Member
    Create your own snacking juices out of berries. It’s easy, just mix a few berries with water then drain the seeds. Very few calories so you don’t have to worry about anything and it satisfies.
  • DanielleFayeS
    DanielleFayeS Posts: 1,981 Member
    I have a big sweet tooth and sometimes plan my day around a big dessert. And I'll keep doing it.

    I do well with pre-planning timed snacks and I usually have a sweet snack in the morning with my tea. Sometimes one cookie, sometimes a single fun size candy bar.

    High quality favorite chocolates. Expensive ones make me portion them out to make them last longer. Side benefit - fewer calories.

    I got some free sample Yasso greek yogurt bars. They're actually quite nice and 100 calories with some protein.

    Homemade greek yogurt with honey and fruit.

    Smaller servings - I entered a few favorite recipes into here. Bite sized cheesecakes are great.

    I let myself have more sweets on weekends, like a sugary breakfast and/or sodas. I usually skip at least one meal those days anyway.

    I cut out soda on weekdays so I can eat my sweets, I have no shame.
  • DebLaBounty
    DebLaBounty Posts: 1,169 Member
    I pre-log a dessert or snack for just about every night. During the summer it was a small slice of homemade pie. Lately it’s one of those individual small squares of Ritter Sport chocolate, or two Mint Milano cookies.
  • kgirlhart
    kgirlhart Posts: 5,155 Member
    I have a sweet tooth, and I handle it by making room in my day for something sweet. If I have a small treat with my meal it is easier for me to have a small portion. I agree with @kommodevaran . If you are craving a specific food, then whatever you try to substitute for it is not going to satisfy the craving. If you just want something sweet, then try adding more fruit. But for me the most important thing is not to tell myself I cannot have something. If I do that then that is all I want. If I fit things into my goal it is easier for me to decide not to have something that doesn't fit because I don't want to go over calories, and not because I "can't" have it. I've lost ~76 pounds and I have eaten something chocolate every day. You can lose weight and still indulge your sweet tooth. You just can't over indulge it.
  • Boxn_n_Bellydancn
    Boxn_n_Bellydancn Posts: 171 Member
    Ditto much of what has been said. I work my dark chocolate and other sweets into my daily calories. I have also found bananas to be effective in curbing my sweet cravings sometimes too.
  • BeaUtiful_1413
    BeaUtiful_1413 Posts: 200 Member
    Dark chocolate, bananas, oranges, I also drink slimfast(I get chocolate! Taste like chocolate milk with 1cup water or 1cup almond milk... soooo good) I also make glutton free cookies, peanut butter cookies. Greek yogurt with honey and granola. I'd look on Pinterest that's were I look for some healthy alternatives
  • RachelElser
    RachelElser Posts: 1,049 Member
    Have you ever tried protein fluff? You can add fruit and stuff and make it quite sweet but very low cal. It's like a lighted whipped ice cream.
  • smartin114
    smartin114 Posts: 10 Member
    I like a half of an English muffin with a teaspoon of Nutella. Seems to do the trick and I have a serious sweet tooth.
  • Psychgrrl
    Psychgrrl Posts: 3,177 Member
    I've found some substitutes like protein pudding, protein cookies, protein pancakes, Halo Top or Enlightened ice cream, etc. There are also good recipes online. Taylor Crosby (I follow him on Instagram) has some terrific low calorie sweet treat recipes and low cal snack ideas. A lot of it is a matter of taste, but I've found some things that really work well for me and fit into my calorie plan. For special splurges, like the cake I bought my family for Christmas dinner (CarolinesCakes.com - the Bliss 7-Layer Cake, OMG), I just don't worry about it.
  • sofchak
    sofchak Posts: 862 Member
    whosshe wrote: »
    http://www.foodiefiasco.com/low-calorie-crustless-pumpkin-pie/

    I haven't made it yet so I'm not saying it's good lol

    Just made it - cut the recipe in half and put in 4 individual ramekins instead of a whole pie pan. Only changes I made were:
    - Subbed unsweetened cashew milk for the coconut milk
    - Reduced the sweetener by 1/4th
    - Added in extra nutmeg, cinnamon, and ground cloves as the taste was a little bland with just the pumpkin pie spice
    - Baked for 35 min since it was ramekins

    Overall, not bad. Not amazing... but not bad. Will probably pick up some Halo Top vanilla or some whipped cream to complement the other 3 servings I have in the fridge now.

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